Bridal Skincare Regimen

With less than three months to the big day, I’m digging in to my diet and exercise pretty hardcore at this point.

I’ve entered into the ugly calorie-restriction phase of the diet, and so far, so good—I’ve lost about six pounds since Christmas and clothes are fitting better. Plus, I’ve actually got more energy, which goes to show…when you stop eating ALL the cookies, you actually feel better.

But along with that diet, and my six workouts a week, I’ve started something totally new—an intense (for me) beauty/skincare routine.

I’ll confess…when it comes to skincare, I’m literally the worst. I mean, I put on sunscreen if I’m outside, and I’ll wash my face if I’m wearing makeup, but that’s about it. I’m criminally lazy.

But recently, my beauty expert coworker had one of those come-to-Jesus talks with me about actually taking care of my face…so between that and pure wedding-related vanity, I’m doing something about it.

Enter the skincare regimen.

I figured no one wanted to look through five different pictures of bottles. | Image via: 1, 2, 3, 4a, 4b

Now, I thought about doing the whole Korean beauty thing, but I wake up with AS LITTLE time to spare as possible, so 30 minutes less sleep didn’t sound good. That means I’m modifying that routine significantly. Here’s the haphazard product lineup that works for my sensitive, redness-prone skin.

1: Cleanse (AM and PM) – I use Bliss Clog Dissolving Milk morning and night. It’s a gentle formula that I bought with a Bliss gift card, and I LOVE the way it smells. Plus, it doesn’t irritate my skin.

But don’t be fooled by that somewhat-fancy face stuff. The rest of my products come from Target.

2: Toner (AM and PM) – Honestly, I have NO idea WTF toner is supposed to do, but all my pretty-skinned friends use it, so now I do too. It’s refreshing, and my skin feels soft after. And this one smells really pretty.

3: Serum (AM and PM) – Again, from Target—same line as the toner, and same scent, too. It really seems to make my skin soft. And per my coworker’s advice, I’m using it on my neck and cleavage, too.

4: Moisturizer (Sunscreen in the AM, night cream in the PM) – Before this month, my use of moisturizer was spotty, at best. I mean, I had it, because someone bought it for me as a gift, and every now and then I’d put it on.

But I didn’t know you’re not supposed to use stuff with SPF overnight…so now I have two different moisturizers—an off-brand one with SPF for daytime and a super sensitive skin one for nighttime.

The result? Well, I’ve only been doing this a few weeks—but my skin FEELS softer. And I’ve been breaking out less—even during my period—so I’m calling this a win. Next up? My brows could use some SERIOUS attention—I’m growing them thick, but they’re something special right now.